Reply to new messages ASAP

TakeLessons

December 13, 2018 17:56

The earliest reply usually wins

When a potential student sends you a question through your profile, they are usually very close to booking lessons with you. Do your best to send a complete, helpful answer to their question as soon as you can.

According to our research:

Teachers who reply within an hour (on average) book the most students.

After 24 hours of waiting for a reply, prospective students are 50% less likely to book with you.

If you’re not a good fit for the student...

It’s ok to reply, “It sounds like I might not be the right teacher for you.” Turning down students before they book lessons will not hurt your search ranking.

Reply to the student promptly, even if you’re not right for them. This will keep your average reply time within acceptable ranges.

DON’T IGNORE MESSAGESfrom students when you feel you’re not a good fit. If you don’t reply to a student within 72 hours, your profile will be “paused” from Search.

Be polite- a little kindness goes a long way.

If the message looks like SPAM, or something else...

You don’t have to reply to messages that seem like they’re from spammers, or are suspicious attempts to get your contact information. Just make sure to report the message as “suspicious,” to ensure your profile won’t be “paused” from Search.

Report a message as “Suspicious” if…

It seems like SPAM

The message is inappropriate in any way

The message is about something other than private lessons (someone trying to sell you something, etc.)

The message seems suspicious for other reasons

How to report a message as “Suspicious”

You can mark a message as suspicious in your Inbox:

In the Messaging Center on your iPad or iPhone:

In the Inbox on your Android:

Take action within 72 hours

When a new potential student sends their first message, the system starts a stopwatch. If you haven’t replied or marked the message “suspicious” by the 72-hour mark, your profile will be paused in Search, and the student will be notified that you were unavailable.

Communication threads close out after 5 days after your initial reply, so make sure to follow up early and often